


no sleep and hand-written letters

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, M/M, Mentions of Anxiety, extremely emotionally constipated kwon soonyoung, f/m is minor, he is practically a god, rated cuz of swearing and potential scenes, reasonable alcohol consumption, wen junhui is described from an extremely biased perspective
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:15:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27434923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Something IMPORTANT about the whole setting. Hogwarts they study in is in Korea. The year is irrelevant. For the purpose of avoiding any minors involved in non-PG-13 stuff, people start studying at the age of 14. All 97-liners are magically studying together with 96-liners (crazy, I know).This is a multi-ship, multi-pov, multi-fandom fic. There are mentions of anxiety, (some underage) characters drink and swear. If anything else that needs to be mentioned comes up, it will be noted before a chapter starts.This is unbeta'ed and I am writing this as an escape mechanism from all the work I have to do for my uni. You hath been warned. Good luck!
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	no sleep and hand-written letters

**Author's Note:**

> Something IMPORTANT about the whole setting. Hogwarts they study in is in Korea. The year is irrelevant. For the purpose of avoiding any minors involved in non-PG-13 stuff, people start studying at the age of 14. All 97-liners are magically studying together with 96-liners (crazy, I know). 
> 
> This is a multi-ship, multi-pov, multi-fandom fic. There are mentions of anxiety, (some underage) characters drink and swear. If anything else that needs to be mentioned comes up, it will be noted before a chapter starts. 
> 
> This is unbeta'ed and I am writing this as an escape mechanism from all the work I have to do for my uni. You hath been warned. Good luck!

It takes Soonyoung four missed goals, two bludgers sent his way, one snitch right before his eyes, and sixty-seven long minutes to realise he is hecking tired of this game. It was the first match of the season and, surely, the most important one - if they lost it, they would have to sit on the benches like the biggest losers till the very beginning of the next year - and there is nothing worse than watching Gryffindors play and not being able to play against _them_ , Soonyoung thinks. He also thinks he is glad the sorting hat put him in the wrong house. 

He couldn’t see anyone in the Slytherin’s stands. Who is he lying to, he couldn’t even see the stands. Usually, Octobers were somewhat kind and warm and generous with the amount of sunlight and warm days the castle and its dwellers received through the month. This October? It was the complete opposite. It was humid, unbearably so; breathing was hard, the wind gave you chills throughout your entire body, oh, and it could also easily sweep you off your feet. As an awfully unpleasant addition, there was fog. A lot of fog. Due to the mountainous location fogs were not so foreign to Hogwarts, and on a regular day, they would dissipate by mid-morning, and by noon during most of the winter. Now, you could walk out of the Grand Hall after lunch and the milky mist would engulf you whole, the air so dewy you could almost touch it. 

If Kwon Soonyoung was sorted into Gryffindor, he would have played a similar quidditch game a week ago, no fog in sight. If he was sorted into Gryffindor, he would have probably been friends with Jung Jaehyun and Kim Mingyu instead, quidditch players admired by the entire school, and feared by players of other houses. If he was sorted into Gryffindor, he would hate all Slytherins, including Yoon Jeonghan. If he was a Gryffindor, he could not possibly know how good of a Slytherin he made. 

He had a hunch the game was going to end soon - it was more of a feeling you get after so many games played, something similar to the rising tension you feel when you are nearing the breaking point in a story, one out of so many similar ones you have read. Or maybe it was simpler than that - Soonyoung loved overdramatising whatever curt ideas visited his breezy head. And, maybe, the game was actually going to last for sixty more long minutes, who knew. 

He is now scanning the pitch in search for his _biggest_ enemy, a little golden ball of swift motions of its feeble but fast wings. Not the easiest thing to spot, to say the least. On top of all that, there was slight fog, which rendered all players quite vulnerable, including Soonyoung. The white veil immersing the pitch was forcing the Slytherin’s chaser to squint about the perimeter through his protective glasses in search of the snitch.

Suddenly, Ravenclaw’s chaser zooms past him on top of her speed, her body’s momentum shoving Soonyoung out of the way. She seemed way too eager for this to be a bluff, one of those cheeky tricks meant to fool Soonyoung into following her only to stop midway and fly into an entirely different direction. _Everyone_ knows that he is fast and agile: chasers of different houses were rumoured to come up with little tricks on How to Fool Kwon Soonyoung since he joined the team, but in most of the cases they failed miserably. 

Even though now, when it was clear she wasn’t trying to dupe him, clinging to the possibility of actually catching the golden snitch, she did not have his speed. The instant Soonyoung spotted the little golden spark, his body rushed headlong towards it. The fog was a bitch and for a split second, he thought he’s lost it from his view. Another second passed, but somehow the snitch was already in his hand. It took Seungkwan, a young Gryffindor commentator, secretly Soonyoung’s friend, approximately twenty seconds to understand that the game was over and he had to announce that yes, Slytherin has won yet another game. 

“SLYTHERIN WINS BY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY POINTS TO SEVENTY!”. Seungkwan roars through the pitch and continues to ramble on about how intense of a match it has been, praising both teams, but no one really listens.

The ten minutes after the game they’ve won - that’s what made Soonyoung’s blood boil, his brain short-circuiting a little from the overexcitement. The deafening cheers from the Slytherin’s crowd, people chanting his name, his teammates rushing to jump on him and hug the living hell out of his body, even Jeonghan leaving a wet peck on his forehead. Soonyoung revelled in the attention and refused to believe there could possibly exist a thing that would bring him a bigger rush of serotonin than this. 

Whenever he caught a snitch, as a tradition, he would fly along every stand filled with Slytherins and try to high-five every green-robed student he saw. When Jihoon called him a nasty attention whore the first time he’s done that, he got so offended he had to break down _why_ it was not even nearly as self-indulgent as it seemed:

“Well, first, everyone loves me,” he heard Jeonghan make an ugly sound somewhere behind him, but preferred to ignore it; Jihoon was still looking at him incredulously. “Second, I want to see my fans up close!”, Jeonghan wasn’t even hiding his laughter at this point; Jihoon’s eyebrows were rising higher and higher. “And third, it is a very efficient method for us, Slytherins, to bond as housemates! And didn’t you see how Ravenclaws looked at me? They were even more upset with their team’s loss!”. Jihoon simply rolled his eyes at that, while Jeonghan called him a comedian, ruffling Soonyoung’s hair and leaving the common room to proceed with his day.

Soonyoung thinks he made lots of valid points and that’s what mattered the most - if his friends were going to be unsupportive assholes, he would let them be. He would still pout for about a week until Jeonghan brought him his favourite candy from Honeydukes, or Jihoon would unknowingly compliment him,

“Yes, Soonyoung-ah, that haircut does make you look more formidable to your opponents.”

“No, Soonyoung-ah, I don’t think there was anyone in Slytherin before you who called himself a tiger.”

The small high-five tradition stayed since that one match in his 3rd year, when he caught his very first snitch and he was so happy he didn’t know how to act. He flew towards the stands to high-five his friend Seokmin from Hufflepuff, his other hand still holding the snitch. The gesture caught on along other kids surrounding his friend, and before he knew it, he high-fived most of the crowd (including some Hufflepuffs whose team lost that game); no one had the heart to ignore the kid who smiled so wide his cheeks probably hurt later on. It became part of him, and, maybe, he couldn’t eloquently explain his motives to anyone, but they truly were not of a purely egoistic nature - Soonyoung was sure people loved sharing the little moments of victory with him that way. And they did. 

It was a little harder this time to satisfy his heart’s content to greet the students, the fog enveloping the stands thicker than the one where there was the main action. He was still undoubtedly happy; the game was won, he caught the snitch (again), he finally could take off his musty goggles, and maybe ask Jeonghan to sneak him into the prefect’s bathroom. The weather conditions were wearing him down more than he expected, and, while he still made sure to high-five every person in the first row of the Slytherin’s stands, he didn’t notice how his broom dragged him towards the Ravenclaw crowd. 

The first Ravenclaw to mistakenly meet his own hand was the _last_ Ravenclaw he would want to meet his hand. The bastard was even beaming at him with his bright, perfect, all-teeth smile. 

“You did really great! When are you going to start doing great at potions?”

When Soonyoung fully registers it is Jeon Wonwoo speaking, it finally hits him - he is at the wrong stands, the wrong house, greeting the wrong man. He spins, doing a full one-eighty, the twigs of his broom’s tail nearly hitting the tip of Wonwoo’s nose, as he flies back to his team at such speed he has trouble landing. When Jeonghan unknowingly asks whether he finished his round of high-fives, he brushes it off and makes a beeline towards Lee Taeyong, 7th year Hufflepuff, who eagerly grants every player with an enchanted heat pack. Never has a Slytherin’s win in a quidditch match been this unsatisfying to Soonyoung. 

. . . . . .

The first time Soonyoung had a conversation with Mister I-am-the-best-potion-maker in his six years of school was on the first potions class they had in September. It was an 8 AM class, the potions classroom was too close to the Slytherin’s dungeons for anyone to worry about being late (and thus being late), and Soonyoung was quite far from being a morning person. As much as he loved the coffee he could easily get in the Great Hall during breakfast, he treasured the comfort of his silky green sheets and the fluffy blanket more. 

It was the beginning of his second to last year at Hogwarts, and as melancholic as he got at the thought he would be leaving the place in less than two years, there was a ton of OWLs to pass and, frankly speaking, he wasn’t prepared for even half of them. Which is why decided to be a more diligent student, announcing his determination a couple of days ago to his friends, who were all plastered on a field of grass before the castle, taking in the September’s sun.

“I am going to be a good student this year!” he propped himself on one elbow, his other hand articulating with weird energetic motions with every word he said. 

“No skipping Divinations, no cheating at History of Magic! And you,” he was pointing his index finger right in the middle of Jihoon’s face, “are going to help me with potions!”. Seokmin, who was propped on his shoulders left of Jihoon, did not even bother opening his eyes, cancelling out any noise Soonyoung made. 

“No way in hell am I tutoring _you_ any potions. I still want to live and have all of my fingers, you know.” He smacked Soonyoung’s hand out of his face, 

“And don’t you dare go pouting, you are a walking disaster and you know it.” He stood up, blocking the sun and casting a shadow over Soonyoung’s face, where his mouth was already forming a pout. “There is a bunch of people who have more patience than me, know potions better than me, and want to tutor you more than me.” He picked up his bag and before leaving for his upcoming arithmancy class, said,

“You just have to ask. People like you, Soonyoungie. It won’t hurt your pride to ask that girl from Hufflepuff we saw today, right, Seokmin-ah?” Seokmin lazily opens one of his eyes to look all over Soonyoung with some sort of contentment and then slowly nods. _That bastard_. “I’m sure she will be happy to help. I am your friend but I have a life of my own. I’ll be off, see you guys.” And with that, the two of them were left alone with their thoughts: Seokmin was mentally planning how he could fit his vocal practices in between classes, while Soonyoung was trying to understand why the world was so unfair. 

Reminiscing the sunny afternoon he has spent with his friends, along with the embarrassing conversation, he decides he still has five more minutes before he _absolutely_ has to leave the bed. The promised five minutes extended into sixteen, and now he was late to his first potions class of the year. Amazing. 

Grabbing whatever sweater caught his sight first (Ten was going to be really upset with him later in the day) and putting it over his bare top along with his black slacks, he started frantically searching for his wand and bag, managing to stuff the latter with whatever seemed useful in the span of two minutes. He practically flew out of the boys’ dormitories into the common room, shuffling the first years out of their sleepy trance, and into the dark chilly corridors of the dungeons. 

The door of the potions classroom was never kind on Soonyoung, and now when he opened it with a little bit too much fervour, about two dozens of surprised, amused or annoyed eyes were staring him down. In his embarrassment, he quickly scanned the room in search for a spot, at best next to Seokmin - that way both of them could slack off, at worst next to Ten, whose sweater he unknowingly put on, and only then did he become conscious of the sea of blue robes filling half of the space. He was utterly unaware he had to survive his worst class working with Ravenclaws, the most ostentatious idiots in the castle (his momentary bewilderment made him forget the existence of Gryffindor as a whole), throughout this entire year. Trying to not attract any more attention he already did, he took the only empty spot where, unfortunately to everyone in the room including Soonyoung, he would have to work alone. 

Jihoon was going overboard with avoiding eye contact with Soonyoung, covering half of his face with the book they don’t need; Ten has already sent out two enchanted paper planes with “I will f*cking kill you” and “You either go skinny dipping in the Black Lake or buy me a new sweater you moron”, both signed with a ton of hearts and “xoxo Ten”; and his last resort, Kim Doyoung, was too invested in being a nerd to help him with his potion. Their professor was throwing worrying glances at the boy once in a while, which didn’t go unnoticed by Soonyoung and added more to his growing annoyance. 

It could’ve been the events of his terrible morning or the fact that he was forced to work alone, or maybe his inability to make anything worthy in Potions, but it seemed as if Valerian root did not belong in his Amortentia potion the same way Soonyoung did not belong in this class. The contents of the cauldron turned a worrying purple, splattering around the perimeter, and if not for their professor, he would lose half of Ten’s sweater (he thinks), and as Jihoon feared, half of his fingers, too. 

“But Professor Son, I was working by myself! If I had a partner, this wouldn’t have happened!” 

After Miss Son has managed to calm everyone down from Soonyoung’s unsuccessful attempt of creating a potion, he was trying really hard to persuade her not to take any of Slytherin’s points off on the first Monday of the school year. 

“Mister Kwon, when I do agree that this is a rather difficult potion to make on your own, I do not believe an absence or presence of a partner would influence _your_ knowledge of last year’s material.” She strode through the room to grab a mop and hand it to Soonyoung, “I am sorry but I do have to take ten points from Slytherin.” Soonyoung was confused about how a mop was going to help him clear up a liquid that threatened to dissolve his flesh. Or maybe it would guard him against all the Slytherins he angered with his deed. Miss Son caught up with his confusion and in an almost endearing way,

“You poor boy, the mess you made is not even nearly toxic as you think. All you did is mess up the ingredients in such a way that at its worst, your potion will make someone puke.” In his frustration, Soonyoung failed to notice that all this time, their professor was followed along by a Ravenclaw whose name he kept forgetting despite his very memorable face. The said Ravenclaw was nodding to every word Professor Son said, a faint smile on his thin lips. While she continued,

“The Ashwinder eggs in combination with Valerian root simply enhance the colour of the potion, so do not worry, the mop will be fine.” She was smiling timidly, mostly to herself, before she noticed that Soonyoung started to shift his glance back and forth from her to the other guy. The annoying Ravenclaw seemingly was acknowledging Soonyoung’s presence for far longer, for which he couldn’t be blamed, Soonyoung was pretty, he played quidditch _well_ , and, well, Jihoon was right - people liked him. Also, he was ten minutes late for class and almost destroyed a cauldron on the fourth day of school. 

It is not like Soonyoung has never seen the guy or hasn’t heard of his existence - he sure has, they had many other joint classes in the six years they both have spent here. He even remembers having a slight crush on him back in the third year, when the level of his hormones exceeded any threshold and he fell in love with every person he found beautiful - if he did not engage in the everlasting rivalry with Gryffindors including the infamous Jung Jaehyun, he would’ve fallen in love with the jerk, too. Several things have changed since then. 

First, he had greater control over his hormones and feelings in general (at least it’s what he believed in). Second, he had no time for any crushes or flings or anything that would make him involved with another human romantically. Third, the guy turned out to be so unattainable and mysterious and overly smart for Soonyoung’s preference, as he managed to slip away from him so easily, he couldn’t even recall his name. 

“Wonw- Mister Jeon here, has quite an affinity for the subject of potions,” Miss Son continued, “and if I dare so, he is best in his year!”, she looked at the boy with what seemed to be a very affectionate look in her eyes which made Soonyoung cringe internally. Another teacher’s favourite, probably put on a shining pedestal in Miss Son’s eyes, which meant one thing only - he is not going to be Soonyoung’s friend. If someone makes him look and feel like a total fool, simply because they excel at something Soonyoung _doesn’t_ , their existence renders obtrusive and requires some sort of an action (Soonyoung will have to discuss this later with Jeonghan, as Slytherin’s prefect will absolutely know how the threat to the boy’s image and self-esteem can be removed). 

The younger Slytherin is pulled out of his continuous train of thought by the sight of a hand outstretched toward him, a very slim hand with bony fingers, that most certainly does not belong to Miss Son - hers would be small and puffy and soft. 

“I’m Wonwoo, hi, I don’t think we’ve ever spoken,” the guy apparently named _Wonwoo_ blurts out quietly, with a faint smile on his lips, which only adds fuel to Soonyoung’s growing irritation. 

_Why is he talking to me?_ The slim hand is still waiting to be shaken, awkwardly stuck mid-air over a table filled with various scrolls and syringes, and in Soonyoung’s eyes the hand, the whole gesture, does not quite reach its owner’s intent. He is not sure if it is his drowsy state telling him things he probably wouldn’t think of on a regular day, but this Wonwoo guy does not seem the type to shake hands with people he meets. Which is why he does what he usually does when a problem he doesn't want to deal with at the moment arises - he turns around and walks away, towards his mess of a table, grabbing a mop he left while trying to deal with Miss Son’s unfair accusations and point reduction. He knows the two of them are staring at him and he is somewhat expecting the Wonwoo guy to call him back and stare him down for the impolite behaviour, or smack him, or tell him he’s a piece of shit, _anything,_ but shaking hands. 

Until the very end of the class, no one bothers him while he scrubs off the remains of his disastrous potion of the table, floor, cauldron and even some nearby glass flasks. He is only one class in for the day, but he already wants to crawl back to the dormitory and spend the entire day under the comfort of his blanket. Or, alternatively, go to the quidditch pitch and practice until he falls down to the ground because he can’t feel his hands from the cold, or Junhui hits him in the head with a bludger, either works. Focusing on making the cauldron’s cast-iron surface as shiny as a cast-iron cauldron can get makes him forget about the uncomfortable exchange, if you could even call it an exchange - Soonyoung hasn’t said a single word, with the Ravenclaw. 

He was the only one left in the classroom now, the students of both houses and his “friends” leaving for their classes, and Miss Son disappearing into her office, wishing Soonyoung luck on her way out. So when he is done with the cleaning he could’ve avoided doing if he weren’t late, he shoves all of his belongings (or what seems to be his belongings) into his bag as quickly as he can, dreading to leave the forsaken place and maybe find Seokmin to nag at how terrible his morning was. Oh, if only things went his way. 

“Are you always an asshole or only when you are having a rough day?” 

As it appears, he wasn’t the only person left in the classroom. Soonyoung considers just leaving the room, as he was _so_ close to his means of escape, but something in his gut tells him to stop in the tracks and pay some attention to the guy who just called him an asshole. His fingers let go of the door handle only to form a fist, the weight of his bag dragging his shoulder down (he probably took some of the syringes in his hurry), and with the most formidable expression he could muster, he turned around. 

“I wouldn’t be an asshole if you weren’t such a pretentious dick.” Soonyoung probably should be kinder with the words he throws at someone he knows merely for an hour, but his day was not going to get any better at that point, so he shoved all his precautions and common sense to a very far shelf of his mind. 

“You completely ignored me when I was being _nice_ and I am the one who’s a pretentious dick? You are even more full of yourself than I imagined.” 

The Wonwoo guy, with his perfectly shaped face, no longer had the dumb smile he showed around the potions professor. His lips were in a tight line and the look and his eyes made the Slytherin feel like hiding somewhere far from the guy. The facade he held in front of the professor was replaced with something more grounded, even devilish to some extent. Now Soonyoung remembered why he had a crush on him a while back. 

“You were being nice because you have to keep up that image of this... perfect perfection of a student in front of Miss Son, don’t lie to yourself. If she wasn’t standing next to you, you would probably laugh at me like everyone else did,” if his morning kept progressing in the same manner, he would need to get hammered at Three Broomsticks by the end of the day, he thinks. 

“I was being nice because I wanted to be nice. Not everyone has some hidden motives behind their actions, I am not a Slytherin after all, I have some integrity.” 

“You don’t need to be a Slytherin to have hidden motives.”

“And you don’t need to suspect everyone of some evil intentions, do you have some trust issues or something?”

Soonyoung felt like growling. “What do you even need from me? I don’t know, go pester some Gryffindors,” _I forgot about Gryffindors,_ “with how dumb they are, or don’t you like, have stuff to nerd about?”

“Gosh, I am trying to hold a conversation here, not a brawl. I don’t even see why I thought you might want some help with potions, you are clearly _perfectly capable_ of improving on your own.” The Ravenclaw was seemingly getting tired of them pointlessly throwing insults at each other, his eyebrows furrowing to create a tiny wrinkle on his forehead.

“I might want what? You think I am not _capable_ of making any sort of potions?”- not only was Soonyoung annoyed now, but he also has gotten a strong urge to jinx the guy if any more offensive words were said. “You think _you_ are capable of teaching me?”

“You think _you_ are capable of being taught? I doubt you can even make a decent Cure for Boils, let alone any potions we are going to learn about this year.” The Wonwoo guy no longer seemed tired, as if Soonyoung has opened a new territory for him to explore. His demeanor now resembled somewhat of a cat that spotted its prey, and was playing with it before catching it in its sharp claws.

“I think,” Soonyoung was so shocked with the nerve the guy had, he had to collect himself, “I think, you are not _competent_ enough to even teach me!”

“You want me to teach you to brew potions? Is that what you are saying?”

“I want you to _try_ teaching me potions” Soonyoung wasn’t sure what neither of them was trying to achieve, but the guy wound him up so much he preferred not to think of the consequences this conversation would lead to. “I bet you couldn’t even spend fifteen minutes with me in the same room!"

There was a smirk forming on the Ravenclaw’s annoying face, and in a moment it occurred to the Slytherin that potentially, what he said was what the Wonwoo guy was trying to achieve all along. Soonyoung in his sudden realisation did not notice how Wonwoo was suddenly standing next to him, headed for the exit. And with the most obnoxious smirk one can have, he turned his head to look at Soonyoung as if he has won something. 

“I will see you at the main entrance on Thursday, 8 AM. Don’t be late, Soonyoung-ah.” 

As he closed the heavy door of the potions classroom, he opened a new one - to Soonyoung’s mind. 

. . . . . .

The rest of his morning goes by without any incidents. Returning from the History of Magic class, he shadows Jihoon and some other Slytherins on their way to the Great Hall. It’s the beginning of the second week of the academic year, so the general mood around the castle is quite cheerful, students still relaxed after the summer break and first years overjoyed to start their magical journey. Soonyoung, on the other hand, is starting to get exhausted simply at the thought of all the studying that needs to be done. 

Now, the list of all things that annoy him (Gryffindors, being woken up against his own will, potions, boring classes) was extended by multiple things: Ravenclaws, morning classes, and at last but not any less important, Wonwoo. It was sad in a way since he still believed there were some decent people in Ravenclaw. Take Kim Doyoung, for example - the guy never initiated any arguments, helped with studying if asked, oh and the entire school knew him for being a great singer (Seokmin adored the guy). 

There was also Seo Myungho, Soonyoung knew him to be one of Jeonghan’s little birdies, and if Jeonghan trusted him, then Soonyoung could trust him, too. The ironic part of his newly acquired subject to rant about, was that Jeon Wonwoo was in quite a close affiliation with both aforementioned Ravenclaws, the fact yet unknown to Soonyoung. 

The majority of the student population was now filling the dining tables of the Great Hall - at that time of the day, if you needed to find anyone from the school, you would probably find them here. The only person Soonyoung terribly needed to see was Yoon Jeonghan, and to his luck, the social butterfly was at his usual spot at the Slytherin’s table. 

The plan Soonyoung birthed in his head was particularly simple: he asks Jeonghan who in the world Wonwoo is, Jeonghan asks his birdies to get more information on him, Soonyoung gets blackmail material, and the Wonwoo guy fearfully leaves him alone. In theory, everything seemed reasonable and accomplishable, with the intelligence Jeonghan possessed in this school; in practice, Soonyoung still needed to persuade him to go through all the efforts to find _something_ on the guy before Thursday. Despite the fact that the older Slytherin rarely refused his favours, as he almost always gained something in return, there was a factor of mischief that could consume Jeonghan whole, be his interest piqued. But it was Soonyoung’s pride at stake, and he either was going to sink with the ship or escape by the most cowardly means. 

“Jeonghan-hyuuung,” Soonyoung called in the most sugar-coated tone he could voice. The older boy didn’t bat an eye on his dongsaeng, choosing to listen to whatever rubbish Nakamoto Yuta had to say, while chewing on a fried chicken leg. 

“Jeonghannie-hyung, pleasee,” he was now tugging at the other’s sleeve. 

“Jeonghan-hyung, I know you have stuff to do…”. No reaction.

“Jeonghan-hyung, I’ve heard Jis-”

“What do you need, pest,” the speed of his head turning only to glare at Soonyoung was impressive - the boy swears he heard some of Jeonghan’s neck bones make a dull crack. Jeonghan knowing most of the students’ private businesses did not protect his own secrets from getting out; at least not when his crush is so painfully obvious, or when Soonyoung, as a pledge of his loyalty, does listen to the elder’s drunken nagging. 

“So, I might have messed up some shit in potions this morning… I also think Ten hates me now? And Miss Son probably thinks I am a lost cause? But, you know, what happened during class was also kind of funny, like I couldn’t really wake up and then like -”

“You either tell me what you need from me right now, or I leave and attend much more important businesses than… _this_ .” Despite the harshness in his tone, the pretty bastard was leaning his cheek in his palm, full attention turned to Soonyoung and smiling slightly, brows furrowed a little. 

“Okay… I might’ve fought with a Ravenclaw and I think he might be calling me to a duel but he also could be offering to tutor me but I’m not sure which one it is but regardless I don’t want to go and I need to find some nasty shit on him till Thursday? Please?” he exhaled in one breath. 

Jeonghan still had that numb expression plastered all over his face, as he kept looking at Soonyoung without saying a word. After a few seconds, he put his hand down, turning away from Soonyoung only to look at his empty plate, the smile stuck to his lips like it was glued. Then, with a loud exhale he asked, “What’s the name of the guy again?”

Just when Soonyoung started feeling the burden loosening its grip on his chest, Jeonghan continued: 

“I will look into what I can find, but you _are_ meeting him, be it a duel or a _friendly_ tutoring session,” Soonyoung did not like at all, how he enunciated “friendly”. “I understand your inner conflict with your pride, and unwillingness to be friendly with anyone _but_ Slytherins, but please, Soonyoung-ah, it’s your last two years, why not be a little bit reckless?” 

He hated that Jeonghan was saying very right things in a very wrong context, with the most devilish smile any person must be allowed to show. The Slytherin was half-veela, so he was probably _just smiling_ , but the effect of that smile was such that Soonyoung had no choice but to comply. He hated the bastard. 

“I guess you are right… But please, _please,_ Jeonghannie-hyung, find something on him, I am completely _helpless_ there.” _He shouldn’t have said that._

“Oh, are you? Why?” _Oh no._ “I guess I do have fifteen minutes to spare…” His palm is back to hugging his perfect cheekbone, his eyes start to sparkle with curiosity, a sheepish smile plays on his lips. Jeonghan is not going anywhere until Soonyoung tells him every detail of his terrible morning, and his sudden change of mind could only be explained by the potential of his dongsaeng’s little exchange with a mysterious Ravenclaw to grow into something worth investing his time into. He is Soonyoung’s closest friend, after all. 

By the time Soonyoung finishes his story, most of the students left for their corresponding classes, and if they were lucky enough - for their dorms. He didn’t notice Jihoon staring at him from the other end of the table, he mostly _felt_ it, and as he was going to talk about his encounter to everyone (read: Jihoon and Seokmin) in any case, returning a glance to Jihoon’s side was pointless, especially when Jeonghan was listening to him so attentively. It might come off as a surprising fact, but Jeonghan is a very good listener, and the reassurance he radiates while listening to Soonyoung’s complaints lets his nerves calm a little, with every nod he gives. 

Jeonghan promises his dongsaeng to look into what he can find on the guy, willing to help his friend with the mess that he has gotten himself into. He folds all of his used utensils neatly, standing up from the bench and bidding Soonyoung goodbye: “See you later, dear!” 

The sixth-year Slytherin did not touch a bit of food while heatedly articulating his morning adventures to Jeonghan, and the low rumble of his stomach made sure to put him to awareness of that fact. As he was scavenging the table for whatever looked pleasing enough, he felt as if he was being watched. He knew the feeling quite well, as people threw glances at him in the corridors after particularly interesting quidditch games, or whenever he would hug Jeonghan tight in public, to the demise of the veela’s enthusiasts. Curiosity taking over, he decides to look in the eye of whoever has been staring at him this unceremoniously for the past several minutes. 

He expects to see some girl, maybe from Gryffindor. He expects to see one of his friends, whose presence he hasn’t been acknowledging throughout lunch. He kind of _wants_ it to be a Gryffindor because then he could grin at their face with a triumphant look. What he sees instead, is the Ravenclaw, burning holes in his face shamelessly, surrounded by Myungho and Doyoung who are engaged in some sort of a discussion, _probably something nerdy,_ and that is the combination he _least_ expects to see. _Has he always been so blind to who hangs out with who?_ When the Ravenclaw realises he has been caught red-handed, instead of blushing or turning away, he grins lopsidedly and gives Soonyoung a small wave. The action doesn’t go unnoticed by Doyoung, who turns his head in question in the Slytherin’s direction, only to look at him with confusion. Now there is going to be at least four people in the castle who will know of the ridiculous position Soonyoung has put himself in. 

Now that he fully lost his appetite, the only reasonable location he wants to find himself in is the quidditch pitch. Soonyoung grabs his bag and throws it over his shoulder with exaggerated enthusiasm, throwing a final angry glance towards the Ravenclaw’s table, and retreating towards the main exit. In his plans, he was going to practice so much, any idea of the stupid Wonwoo would fly out of his head with the wind whistling a cheerful melody through his ears. That was the plan. The other plan was to survive until Thursday, unharmed and still sane, which depended on one: how much of the Ravenclaw he would see, two: if Jeonghan was going to find something, three: if Soonyoung would kindly stop overthinking every little thing, the latter being the hardest of all. 

It is evening on Wednesday, September 5th, and Soonyoung is stressing the fuck out. All the information Jeonghan managed to fish out of Myungho without causing too much suspicion wasn’t even nearly enough for Soonyoung to call off the deal. _If there is even any deal_ . There was so little that happened between him and the Wonwoo guy, he assumes the whole conversation between them lasted a maximum of 10 minutes, yet the effect the encounter had on him was immense. _Have I been living a boring uneventful life? Have I not talked with enough people during the summer? Is it because the annoying Ravenclaw grew up and looked… good?_ He couldn’t wrap his head around why such a small thing was affecting him so much, and the more he thought about it the less he liked it. 

Soonyoung couldn’t understand what the guy needed from him, intrusive thoughts filling his head with worry. Last time someone needed something from _him_ , he ended up being hurt repeatedly, and he couldn't afford to lose his independence and to get hurt again. In his head, people around him (his “friends”) see the situations as such: Soonyoung messed up, Wonwoo was trying to help, Soonyoung was an ass and didn’t accept any of his help, Wonwoo didn’t like Soonyoung’s behaviour and called him out, and now they were meeting to figure things out. Technically speaking, that was exactly what was happening (he thinks). But if they _tried_ seeing the situation from Soonyoung’s perspective, they would understand, that a _meeting at 8 AM scheduled like a goddamn magical duel_ with a _person he barely knows and clearly wants something from him_ because otherwise _why would he be doing that when he could’ve just ended it all there by asking for an apology_ simply seemed odd and be any of them in his position, they would be shaking with anxiety, too. He finds himself at the quidditch pitch, again. 

. . . . . .

He knew that Kwon Soonyoung was an odd creature. He also knew that Jeonghan-hyung saw something in him that no one else seemed to see. And recently, he has been made aware of the fact that the most rational man he ever met took a liking to Slytherin's hot mess. Xu Minghao never had it easy, not with the people that surrounded him, and he had a bit of a hunch that this year was going to be even more difficult. _Those idiots._

Overall, there wasn’t as much to complain about for Myungho - everyone but Junhui and Renjun used his Korean name - in his daily life in Hogwarts. He excelled at most of the subjects, and as professors knew him as the kid who reads, analyses, _devours_ , every bit of information served to him, he had the unprecedented reputation most of his peers did not possess. That was the surface. That was what Minghao fed to people around him, people whose lives might have revolved around the Myungho facade, people he would never really _see._ Jeon Wonwoo was not one of these people.

He was soft-spoken with a cold glare, quiet but sharp when he listened. Minghao respected him just for being _him_ , and their relationship could be called that of camaraderie; if Wonwoo had some sort of a gnawing thought weighing on his fragile shoulders, Minghao would invest his time in all the support he could offer. The little trio they formed within Ravenclaw, including Kim Doyoung, too, could easily be called the quietest friend group in school. At least that’s what people wanted to see and saw in their peaceful study sessions left of the entrance of Hogwarts’ vast library. Minghao enjoyed such a state of affairs, and no proof would be necessary to confirm the reciprocity of the other two boys. 

So when Wonwoo shamelessly barged into the Ravenclaw’s isolated study spot, eyes sparkling with hints of insanity, declaring he might have a crush on some _Slytherin_ one week into their sixth year, Minghao had to physically process this piece of information, a feeling not unlike swallowing a hard pill. 

“The guy is eighty percent douchebag, twenty percent a child, I don’t even know what I am doing, Myungho-yah.” The library was particularly quiet at this time of the day, most students lazily headed for their dorms or to catch the last warm days on grass fields outside. Even in such stillness, Wonwoo’s low whisper managed to sound somewhat comforting, if maybe a little tired, despite the Ravenclaw (potentially) experiencing a life crisis. His friend required immediate assistance and Minghao was not sure yet how he could come into play, so he listened.

“Today… There was an _accident,_ with a cauldron, remember?” Minghao nods, while Wonwoo picks some chair nearby and straddles it to face Minghao. “He blew that stupid cauldron… and I couldn’t stop staring. Not because of the cauldron, no, but the guy looked so _cute_ I couldn’t help myself. Do you see my problem?”

What is he supposed to say to that? The situation is not out of the ordinary it seemed: people do get crushes, even on stupid people. Yet something in the way Wonwoo spoke made him worry. _Did it start much earlier, maybe? Is there something between the two he doesn’t know?_

“You didn’t do anything stupid? Right? Wonwoo-yah?” _Oh no._

“I might’ve called him an asshole? And then manipulated him into studying with me?” _Oh, this is even worse than he imagined._

“Wonwoo-yah....” A group of first years passed them by, all wearing the same intrigued facial expressions and casting curious glances at their seniors. “How did… Why _you_ of all people… and how did he even agree?” 

“He didn’t exactly agree…”

“Jesus, Wonwoo, don’t tell me you manhandled the guy into listening to you… You know I do not condone violence of any sort.” A dumb crush. Making a very smart guy do very stupid things. Minghao did not feel like studying anymore, so, with a heavy sigh, he started packing his stuff up. “We can talk about this somewhere else, but first I need to process whatever it is you’ve done to Soonyoung-hyung. Wanna have a stroll?”

Like an obedient puppy, Wonwoo complies, nodding fervently. There is an odd mix of excitement and worry displayed on his face, and Minghao is not quite sure yet if he pities or blames the man. They leave the library in silence, a long conversation awaiting the two for when they finally get to a place without any ears around them. 

. . . . . .

Soonyoung sleeps a total of two hours. He didn’t mean to, really. But that’s just something he’s developed through weeks of worrisome nights when the anxiety induced thoughts gnawed at him so loudly he couldn’t help but stay awake just to try to shush them away. He keeps thinking he’s overreacting, though some episodes from the past keep flashing bright in his memory, making him feel a little saner, grounded - being cautious is not too bad, right? 

He sits up with a loud groan, turning his head to glare at the clock on his bedside table showing 07:21. With nothing better in mind, he makes his way to the boys' bathroom, his bare feet coming in touch with the cold stone of Slytherin’s dungeons. The reflection that meets him in the mirror just gets added to the list of negative things about today Soonyoung mentally made up when trying to find his slippers (which he didn’t find). 

As of now, the list contained: _no sleep, no slippers, cold ass floor, Wonwoo, 7 AM, puffy eyes, dark circles, Wonwoo, what do I wear, should I maybe just not go…_

The clock in their shared room shows 07:42 now, and with a note of resolve, he makes his way to the common room. It would take him about 5 minutes to reach the main entrance, and he didn’t want to be early because it would make him look _lame_ , but there was a possibility Wonwoo would be there early, too ( _since he’s a nerd_ , Soonyoung notes), which would mean they can end _whatever it is they are going to do_ early, and he could go back and try to get some sleep before his first Herbology class this year. To everyone’s surprise, Soonyoung loved Herbology and was, as a matter of fact, really good at it. No Ravenclaw could ruin it for him. 

He wasn't too worried about meeting anyone he wouldn’t want to meet in the corridors on his way to the main entrance. Purely by accident, he knew that sixth year Gryffindor students had classes in a completely opposite part of the building, and the seventh year had no classes until eleven, which allowed him to walk confidently to their meeting place. He didn't fancy the idea of meeting in such a public spot, where the entirety of school could see them on the way from the Great Hall to their classes, but at the same time, go anything wrong, there would probably a student or two that could save him from his peril (or an eye witness, if it goes _really_ bad). 

By the time he reached the entrance to their school, most students were rushing to get to their classes on time, leaving Soonyoung completely unnoticed. He propped himself against the wall right of the main entrance, sliding down slowly to the floor. He was expecting to feel the cold of the floor hit his bottom but to his surprise, it was way warmer than the floor of their dorms. _Will the Slytherin-phobia of this school ever end…_ He knew he came early, but he didn't bother to look up the time, so he waited. He waited for so long he fell asleep.

. . . . . .

Wonwoo finds him plastered on the floor, neck at an angle so unnatural it will cause him neck pains for at least a week. It is also 8 AM sharp, which can imply several things, either: one, Soonyoung did not want to be late, thus he woke up too early for his usual routine (bonus point for Wonwoo); two, Soonyoung doing something? during the night that made him stay awake, resulting in lack of sleep (no bonus points for Wonwoo); or three, his clock being broken and him coming here on time but ending up falling asleep anyway (no bonus points, again). 

The only way to discover which was waking Soonyoung up and the scene was too peaceful and too endearing for Wonwoo to pass up the chance of observing the Slytherin in such a helpless state. Wonwoo squatted down next to the boy, careful not to wake him up; even if people would walk by, he did not worry, he would just wake him up. 

He was wearing an oversized knit v-neck sweater, silver and green stripes framing its collar, Slytherin crest embroidered neatly on the right side of his chest. The boy was sleeping soundly, his full lips slightly parted - the low whistle coming out of his mouth sounded almost _cute._ Objectively speaking, Kwon Soonyoung was hot. Everyone knew that, even his Hufflepuff friend Jun sometimes commenting on how good his ass looks in a quidditch uniform. _Wonwoo_ knew that. And there he was, completely unguarded, his usual smug expression relaxed, cheeks round and glowing. He would bet a hundred galleons that if he poked his cheek it would be equally as soft as the Japanese mochi his dad would buy for Wonwoo as a kid. 

The idea of doing so now was fixed in the Ravenclaw’s head like he was stupefied. Quickly glancing around the hallway, like a scared antelope, he leaned forward to poke at his cheek, when a loud burst of laughter emerged from somewhere close. The sound was so sudden that Wonwoo jolted, losing his balance and, to his demise, falling right onto Soonyoung’s body. In the two seconds of time Wonwoo had to realise what was happening, the Slytherin managed to wake up, mechanically shoving the other boy away with all four of his limbs. _Crazy_ _reflexes,_ a thought flashed across Wonwoo's mind.

“Oh my god what the actual hell” Soonyoung looked as dishevelled as he could get, his eyes wandering all over Wonwoo and all over the hallway around them. The loud group of students walked someplace else, leaving the two of them to the heavy silence of the surrounding walls. “Did you just… try _mangling_ me in my sleep?” 

Usually, Wonwoo always knows what to say. He has a way with his words, people say. So why is it that when he needs to speak _so bad_ , he cannot muster a word, sitting on the cold floor, gasping for air like a fish? Next thing he sees is Soonyoung standing up, throwing an expectant glance down to look at the mess Wonwoo is, and walking away. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> comments and feedback r very appreciated. i might abandon this for another half a year who knows. im not feeling too well but writing this makes me a little happier, so i hope u enjoyed reading whatever this is! 
> 
> pat............... if not for u this wouldn't exist in the first place. thank u very much, u r my emotional pillar in regards to all this rambling. u r the best!
> 
> i guess come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/junsformula) lol im mostly ia tho


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